178 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
VALUABLE TABLE. 
Messrs. Gaylord &. Tucker —A few days ago I was 
much in want of some dry measures of capacity, as I 
had often been before ; but this circumstance had never 
led me until then, to think of the vast numbers of house 
keepers, especially farmers, who suffer inconvenience 
from the same cause ; in fact, I do not believe I should 
err, in rating them at 99 in every hundred. Why they 
continue to do so, they themselves can best tell; but it 
occurred to me that I might perhaps render them an ac¬ 
ceptable service by publishing a list of boxes in a square 
form, which I made out for my own use, to contain the 
following quantities, to wit: a barrel, half barrel, bush¬ 
el, half bushel, peck, half peck, gallon, half gallon and 
quart. The square shape was preferred, as being far 
easier both to make and to calculate, and the list was 
immediately sent to my friend Mr. .Ruffin, editor of the 
Farmer’s Register. But as many read your Cultivator 
who never see his paper, I now send the same state¬ 
ment to you, that you also may publish it, if you think 
it may be useful. A similar table is not to be found in 
any book that I have ever seen ; although it is perfect¬ 
ly obvious to every body that it is much wanted. The 
advantage to buyers especially, would be considerable ; 
for they could always ascertain whether they received 
their proper quantity of any thing sold by dry measure, 
if they would only carry the table in tlieir memories, 
or on a memorandum, together with a small rule in their 
pockets. 
Table. 
A. box 24 inches by 16 in. square, and 28 in. deep will 
contain a barrel, or 10,752 cubic inches. 
A box 24 inches by 16 in. square, and 14 in. deep will 
contain a half barrel, or 5,376 cubic inches. 
A box 16 inches by 16 8-10 in. square, and 8 in. deep 
will contain a bushel, or 2.150 4-10 cubic inches. 
A box 12 inches by 11 2-10 in. square, and 8 in. deep 
will contain a half bushel, 1,075 2-10 cubic inches. 
A box 8 inches by 8 4-10 in. square, and 8 in. deep will 
contain one peck, or 537 6-10 cubic inches. 
A box 8 inches by 8 in. square, and 4 2-10 in. deep will 
contain one half peck, or 268 8-10 cubic inches. 
A box 7 inches by 4 in. square, and 4 8-10 in. deep will 
contain a half gallon, or 134 4-10 cubic inches. 
A box 4 inches by 4 in. square, and 4 2-10 in. deep will 
contain one quart, 67 2-10 cubic inches. 
These measures all come within a small fraction of a 
cubic inch of being perfectly accurate, as near, indeed, 
as any measures of capacity have ever yet been made 
for common us£; the difl'ieulty of making them with 
absolute exactness, has never yet been overcome. 
In addition, gentlemen, to the motive already stated, 
for making this communication to you, I offer it as some 
small return for the instruction and entertainment which 
I have already received from your highly useful paper; 
and beg you to accept my very sincere wishes for its fu¬ 
ture prosperity. I remain, gentlemen, very respectful¬ 
ly, your ob’t serv’t. 
Sept. 22, 1840. JAMES M. GARNETT. 
VERMONT BEE HIVE. 
Luther Tucker, Esq.—Dear Sir:—I send you a box 
containing a glass bee hive. It is of full size and is the 
same shape, and contains all the principles of my pa¬ 
tent. The common hives are made of boards only; 
some people make them rough. Glass drawers may be 
used in either. 
There are three very important principles brought 
into use in this hive.—1st. The suspended bottom board 
facilitates ventilation, affords opportunity for the bees to 
keep any web from being formed by the moth worm 
between the edge of the hive and board, and at the 
same time aids very much in expelling the pent heat in 
the drawers, by admitting a more pure air through the 
apertures into that apartment, which is occasioned by 
the buzz of the bees in the lower part of the hive, and 
which greatly facilitates that secretion in the stomach of 
the working bee, so necessary to the growth of wax ; but 
little air is necessary in the drawer, yet all there is 
should be good, otherwise a sufficient number of bees 
cannot embody themselves together in the drawer so as 
to weld the wax on to their cells, for a perfect unifor¬ 
mity of animal heat must be formed in the drawer be¬ 
fore any comb can be made—3d. Drawers being placed 
in a chamber, a nonconductor of heat and cold is form¬ 
ed between the outer and inner boards. There are oth¬ 
er advantages too numerous here to mention. 
Mr. Nutt, of England, one of the greatest apiarians 
of the present age, became aware of the importance of 
a ventilation which would expel the pent air from the 
glass bell, when used on similar principles with my 
drawers, and contrived a perforated tin tube, so as to 
convey air direct to the center of the bell; but this did 
not answer a good purpose : for, as the air was so direct 
upon their work, without being softened by their ani¬ 
mal heat, the bees glued up every hole so as to stop 
every particle of air coming from that direction, before 
they would make any comb in the bell. Mr. Nutt then 
constructed another tin ventilating tube on somewhat 
different principles, for the purpose of reducing the heat 
in the main hive below swarming temperature, and thus 
prevent swarming; but, as the whole object is not ef¬ 
fected by the contrivance, I will not describe it. Col. 
H. K. Oliver, of Salem, Massachusetts, who uses Mr. 
Nutt’s hive to good advantage, says it is a good city 
hive, it being a non-swarmer, and as he lives in the heart 
of the city, it would be difficult, as he thinks, to manage 
the swarming hives. Col. Oliver has discontinued the use 
of the tin ventilating tubes, and has adopted a better 
plan, as he thinks, for a hive of that kind. The bottom 
board and ventilator of the Vermont Hive affords the 
means of proper ventilation of both the upper and low¬ 
er apartments at all seasons of the year; for at the time 
when the lower apartment should be closed, the upper 
needs no air, except what is admitted through the aper¬ 
tures. It seems hardly necessary for me to express an 
opinion in regard to the advantages of the Vermont 
Hive over all other swarming hives. The public, so far 
as they have been used, appreciate their value, and ma¬ 
nifest it by the various certificates and orders for hives. 
There are now more than four hundred persons who 
bought the right to make and use this hive in the coun¬ 
ty of Addison, Vermont, within 4 years, most of whom 
have their apiaries in successful operation. I think 
there are now more than twice as many hives in this 
country than Avere kept four years ago, and nearly three 
times as many bee owners. Pure box honey in the draw¬ 
ers is the principal honey that is offered for sale in our 
towns and villages, and is fast becoming an article of 
diet for invalids, as well as a luxury for visitors, villa¬ 
gers and other citizens. But after all, I cannot recom¬ 
mend the Vermont Hive to any person who will not take 
any care of their bees, nor any other hive. Bees re¬ 
quire a little care, and this care should be of the right 
kind and in its appropriate time ; otherwise, his success 
in their cultivation will be likely to turn out like the 
farmer who plants and sows his seed out of season, 
and leaves his gate open and his bars down. The sys¬ 
tem of preserving the lives of these industrious little 
insects is fast gaining ground in our country, and I can¬ 
not but hope that the murderous practice of destroying 
the lives of bees will so far cease, that millions of dol¬ 
lars worth of the purest sweet in the world yearly will 
be saved, that is now lost by being washed away by the 
rains and dried up by the sun, for want of bees to save 
it, and skill to manage the bees. Respectfully yours, 
JOHN M. WEEKS. 
West Farms , Salisbury. Vt. Sept. 18, 1840. 
The hive sent us by Mr. Weeks, is kept at the 
Cultivator office, and is worthy the examination of api¬ 
arians. Rights for the use of the hive may be obtain¬ 
ed of Wm. Thorburn, seedsman, of this city—price $5. 
Mr. Thorburn also has for sale, Mr. Weeks’ Treatise 
on the Management of Bees, an excellent work which 
should be read by all who keep bees—price 37^ cents. 
SOWING GRASS SEEDS. 
Editors of the Cultivator —A correspondent in 
the August number of the Cultivator, asks to be inform¬ 
ed the quantity of clover seed necessary to sow on the 
acre, and whether it may be best sown in the autumn 
or spring ? 
Many years ago when I began to cultivate my farm, 
I inquired of numerous farmers what quantity of seed 
was necessary^ to sow on the acre, and found every an¬ 
swer at variance with the others. 
I told my farmer to measure four acres separately in the 
same field, and sow one quart of clover on the first acre, 
two quarts on the second, three quarts on the third, and 
four quarts on the fourth acre. The land being in the 
same condition and adjoining, and sown the same time, 
we should find by practice what we could not learn by 
inquiries. He did so, and sowed timothy or herds grass 
or foxtail, as it is known by these several names with 
it. The seed succeeded well, and the crop of clover was 
bountiful. It was not to be discovered which acre was 
the best covered, for all was thick and very large on all 
the ground sown. This sowing was in the spring, oats 
or barley the protecting crop ; I suppose, however, that 
it is best generally to sow plenty of seed. The manner 
of sowing and the season are much concerned in the 
success. 
If foxtail is sown in the autumn, on wheat or rye, it 
will vegetate in September and October, and being pro¬ 
tected by the grain, it will survive the winter. It being 
more forward than when sown in the spring, it will pro¬ 
duce a good mowing crop soon after the wheat is har¬ 
vested, if a wet season. If sown in the spring, it would 
not produce a good mowing crop the same season, un¬ 
less every relative circumstance should be very favorable. 
Clover would probably not survive the winter if sown 
in autumn; both these small seeds require a protecting 
crop when sown. When the seeds vegetate, the roots 
of the small plants are so very small the sun dries them 
and they perish, if sown on raw or naked ground. 
Wheat and rye are good protecting crops to grass 
seeds; but barley is better because it shades less when 
grown, and oats the next best according to my observa¬ 
tion. If those seeds are sown with grain of any sort, 
they are buried too deep or left uncovered, and may ve¬ 
getate before protected by the grain, or too deep to grow, 
and much of them will be lost. 
I found it best to let the grain, whether wheat, bar¬ 
ley or oats, grow five or six inches high, and then sow 
the clover or foxtail, (which I think the better name, 
for it resembles the tail of the fox, and needs not the 
name of the man who sowed it, as Timothy ox Hurd.) 
If you have a good roller, fix small bushes behind the 
roller, and roll over the land immediately after sowing 
the grass seeds; the roller will press the seeds deep 
enough into the ground, the light bushes will cover 
them^and the grain protect them. This is the mode I 
sowed in the above trial, and probably every seed vege¬ 
tated. Those not acquainted with this mode of rolling; 
suppose you have injured the grain by rolling it fiat on 
the ground, but one week after they will see it ail as 
erect as before rolling it, and do better for having been 
rolled. 
If the seed is good and vegetates, it will be so pro¬ 
tected by advance of the crop of grain, that you 
will be certain of its successful growth. This mode is 
intended equally for fall or spring sowing. 
If the field has too many surface stones, or prominent 
rocks, the roller could not be profitably employed. I 
would then cover the seed by a bush harrow, on such 
land, after the grain had grown six inches high. 
My farm is three quarters of a mile from this city, on 
the alluvial grounds, and contains sixty acres. I stock¬ 
ed it with horses, cows of the improved Durham breed, 
and every animal and utensil necessary for good farm¬ 
ing, and gave my farmer half the produce and increase, 
and he was not satisfied. After trying several persons, 
with equal ill success, I sold all the animals and uten¬ 
sils, and leased the farm, three years ago, to the Shak¬ 
ers for ten years, at six hundred and sixty dollars per 
annum, for growing broom corn, and they are well 
pleased, and I have no farther trouble with discontent¬ 
ed partners. Respectfully, 
Schenectady, Sept. 25. DAVID TOMLINSON. 
LETTER FROM NOVA-SCOTIA. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —I have derived much 
pleasure as w r ell as profit from the pages of the Cultivator, 
having been one of its earliest subscribers. Its character 
in this province is justly appreciated, and the intelligence 
of the death of its late lamented Editor, was received 
with deep regret. Fears Avere entertained that we 
should be deprived of a work, the best calculated of any 
modern publication in America, to awaken and improve 
the mind upon the most important of sciences, that of 
agriculture. Your announcement of its continuance, 
with the prospect of increased support, will, I hope, en¬ 
courage former subscribers and induce others to avail 
themselves of the extensive and varied information 
with which it has ahvays abounded ; and under its pre¬ 
sent favorable auspices, will, probably, be increased. 
Although not a farmer by profession, many of my lei¬ 
sure hours are devoted to this interesting subject, and 
not unfrequently I attempt a practical application of 
the hints which are conveyed by your valuable journal. 
At present, the chief field of my experiments is upon 
an extensive salt marsh, from which the sea has been 
effectually excluded, and the fresh water brought under 
such control as to prevent its doing injury by remaining 
too long upon the surface. You will not, I hope, take 
it amiss, if I should claim the privilege of an old friend, 
and inquire into the treatment of similar tracts of land 
upon your coast, for I presume that such are to be found 
extending far to the south, and have been the subject of 
experiment by many of your enterprizing citizens. A 
brief description of the property will not be uninterest¬ 
ing—it consists of about four hundred acres of marsh 
and fiats, protected from the sea by a wall of sand forty 
feel in height, upon xvhich grow to the summit the 
Sedge grass and Wild Pear, exhibiting at this season, 
Avhen the latter is in bloom, a very beautiful picture. 
The marsh, which runs to very considerable depth, is 
composed of vegetable fibres, the roots of the numerous 
aquatic plants Avhich cox'er the surface in its natural 
state, and this intermixed with a large portion of sand. 
The flats are a composition of sand and earthy deposite, 
and until the shutting off the salt xvater, abounded with 
clams, all of which are noiv destroyed. The white do- 
v r er is found in considerable quantity, but of a dwarf¬ 
ish description. Timothy has been soAvn, and where the 
marsh was the highest, attained a liberal growth. The 
red clover has hardly been tested, but some few roots 
have groAvn luxuriantly, and encourage the hope that that 
as Avell as to the Avhite, the soil may prove congenial to 
it. The timothy was soAvn the last year, without plow¬ 
ing or harrowting; it came up pretty generally, but par¬ 
tially failed in consequence of a neglect of the sluices 
and of the Avater resting upon it during the Avinter. 
The following inquiries may perhaps receive a friend¬ 
ly notice from some of your correspondents, if your own 
experience has not brought you acquainted Avith this 
description of land : 
What kind of grass seed is best adapted for such spe¬ 
cies of marsh and flats ; and in what proportion to the 
acre ? 
Would it be prudent to ditch ? 
Is it customary to ploxv or harroAV, or what system 
is pursued preparatory to seeding ? 
Will such soil produce grain; and Avhat kind of ma¬ 
nure is the best 1 
Has lime been tried, and Avith what effect? 
Has sea manure been found advantageous? 
Have such lands continued to yield for any length of 
time, or do they become exhausted, and from what 
cause ? 
Information upon these, with the general results 
which have followed the various modes of cultivation, 
Avould lay me under additional obligations to the Cul¬ 
tivator, if it be possible to increase the estimation in 
Avhich it is how held by your ob’d. serv’t 
SAMUEL G. FAIRBANKS. 
Liverpool , N. Scotia, 14th August, 1840. 
NOTE BY THE EDITORS. 
We fully reciprocate the friendly sentiments express¬ 
ed by Mr. F. and willingly give a place to his commu¬ 
nication and inquiries. We have, ourselves, had no ex¬ 
perience in the reclamation of salt marshes ; but if some 
of our numerous subscribers on the Atlantic coast, ma¬ 
ny of whom have had much acquaintance in the treat¬ 
ment of such lands, will give us a statement of their 
mode of bringing such reclaimed lands into profitable 
cropping, they will confer a favor on many. 
